Vending system for remotely accessible stored information

Claim 1

A central information distribution facility of the type in which information stored on plural individual endless tapes is selectively retrievable, said facility comprising: a multiple cavity rack, each cavity adapted to receive a tape cartridge; plural electrical connectors secured to said rack at each cavity location; a drive capstan having a longitudinal axis lengthwise through all of said multiple cavities; means for continuously rotating said drive capstan about its longitudinal axis; multiple tape cartridges each comprising: a housing arranged to fit in and be received by any of said multiple cavities, said housing comprising first and second spaced walls defining an interior region therebetween, said interior region having a thickness which is slightly larger than the width of said endless tapes, said housing being arranged to be received in a cavity with the housing thickness extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said drive capstan; a relatively large tape storage bin defined within said interior region; a relatively small transient tape bin defined within said interior region; an ingress opening and an egress opening for said transient tape bin; an ingress opening and an egress opening for said tape storage bin, said ingress opening for said tape storage bin being the same opening as the egress opening for said transient tape bin; a guide channel defined about a portion of the peripheries of said tape storage bin and said transient tape bin and extending from the egress opening of said tape storage bin to the ingress opening of said transient tape bin; an endless tape having its major portion disposed in multiple folds within said tape storage bin and extending therefrom through the tape storage bin egress opening, along said guide channel, through the ingress opening for said transient tape bin, along a predetermined path through said transient tape bin and back into said tape storage bin through the ingress opening therefor, said tape being disposed with its width extending in the direction of the thickness of said housing; a recessed portion of said housing arranged to receive said drive capstan adjacent said predetermined path when said housing is received by a cavity; wherein said predetermined path in said transient tape bin comprises a playback head, a plurality of tape guide means for maintaining said endless tape taut as it passes said playback head, and pinch roller means urged toward said predetermined path to co-operatively and continuously engage said endless tape in driving relationship with said drive capstan; and connector means electrically connected to said playback head and arranged to mate with said plural electrical connectors at the cavity in which said housing is received.